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Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
Tottenham target Nicolo Tresoldi
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Xavi Simons shows just how close he is to Tottenham return with impressive video
Xavi Simons shows just how close he is to Tottenham return with impressive video
Passing under pressure stat shows Tottenham have found their new Mousa Dembele
Passing under pressure stat shows Tottenham have found their new Mousa Dembele
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Photo by Lewis Storey - Danehouse/Getty Images
Xavi Simons Tottenham
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Dejan Kulusevski Tottenham
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Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Arsenal’s loss to Fleetwood Town on penalties in the Carabao Cup could make one of Tottenham’s transfer pursuits in January a lot harder.
While there has been a lot said and written about the potential striker options Tottenham are looking at in January, that may not be the only position that the Lilywhites address in the upcoming transfer window.
The Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven centre-back partnership is yet to completely convince, although they have shown signs of improvement as they have played together more.
There have been suggestions that Spurs could make a move for an experienced Bayern Munich defender in January, but the competition for the player could now be set to intensify.
Tottenham and Arsenal target Kim Min-jae
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Arsenal may now be more likely to challenge Tottenham for Kim Min-jae
The player in question is Kim Min-jae, who has found starts hard to come by at Bayern this season, with Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah being Vincent Kompany’s prefered pairing.
It was reported earlier this month that Spurs could face competition from Arsenal for Kim, and that now appears more likely.
Journalist Dean Jones has revealed on FlashScore that the Gunners’ Carabao Cup loss on penalties to Fleetwood has raised concerns about their defensive depth and has strengthened the club’s resolve to add another centre-back to their squad.
Jones claims that Kim is one of the players on Arsenal’s shortlist, particularly after they had a closer look at the defender in their recent Champions League match at the Allianz Arena.
The journalist adds that while Bayern are not desperate to sell the South Korean, an attractive offer could bring the Bundesliga club to the negotiating table for the 29-year-old.
Other clubs are also eyeing a January move for Kim
Their North London rivals are not the only ones that De Zerbi’s men may have to worry about in the race for the former Napoli defender.
Previous reports from Germany indicated that Spurs could also face competition from Aston Villa and AC Milan for Kim in the upcoming transfer window.
However, other sources, including journalist Pete O’Rourke, have asserted that Bayern are unlikely to consider a sale of the former Napoli man mid-season, given Champions League ambitions.
O’Rourke said at the start of October: “Kim is a player who has been on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs for a number of years. I don’t expect anything to happen in January, because I don’t think Bayern Munich would want to weaken their squad.
“We’re getting the suggestions that Bayern could be willing to let him leave, but I don’t think that’s the plan right now. I think Kompany wants to keep hold of Kim Min-jae. And obviously Bayern are going for honours in the Bundesliga and also the Champions League; they won’t want to weaken their squad.”